Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-06-23
JAKE.
by MARIoN MANvILLE.

Jake was alters a curious critter. You
couldn't never tell nothin' bout him. He
want none of yer show-off sort, 'pearing
to be bout double what he was; but he
had plenty of git up an dust to him
when it came time fer it.
There's some folks, you know, that'll
sorter draw you to 'em by somethin' er
nuther, there is about 'em which ye can't
In no ways explain. An Jake was one
7em. Sometimes it'll be a big, handsome
man er woman that'll have some kind er
outside beauty that'll make you think a
heap on 'em in the beginning, afore you
get to know 'em. Afterwa-d you will find
out that beauty amt more'n skin deep
anyway. But that want the way with
Jake. Why he was the allfredest humbly
chap most ever see. Want no style, no
spirit, no good looks, no nothin7 TO j lake,
far as you could see. He was regular
SLOUGH an no mistake.
When he first come In ter be examined
fer admission ter the fire COM pany seq
to myself, "That Teller amt got no sand'
He was sorter stoopin' an had queer,
dull sorter look in his eyes. Them eyes of
hisin was pretty near white anyhow, an
he had shock of tow hair to keep it
company that want far behind as to
color.
But, Lords We can't most aIlers tell.
1T don't do to judge by looks. Under
them old shirt-sleeves of his'D was g
muscle to beat anything | ever see. An
when Strengthened up he was six feet an
two in his stocken' feet. But he had q
way of hump himself over 80 he didn't
look to be within six inches of that.
Wal he passed, you bet! Ar stood way
up, too. Want no bad habits, NO smoker,
ner chewin', ner drinkin' to Offset it.
Never was sick day in his life, wasn't
married,-wal, the long an short of it YVES
he was jest the nam we needed, an need
ed bad.
was never so surprised as was come
to git acquainted with that snan. He
was gentleman, sir, for all he want
nothin but fireman. He was posted on
everything, he was. You couldn't git ne
start of him, when he was a painter cut
loose. But he want alters a miater, can
tell you that. An some way ec nuther,
when you got good look LITTER them
there white eyes you saw something
there that made you want to lock agin.
I've heern tell of a soul Iookin' Through q
pair OF eyes, but never see 'em show up
before, nor since.
1t want nothin' like the kind of work it
is now. Didn't have none of them patent
alarms to tell us to dot where a fire was,
SOS as we could save time an gait there
before any blamed building fairly knew
1t was burning. An we want called out
as often as we are now.
Wal, this was in the fall of 's9. How
times does git away with US anyhow If
you've never noticed it fires never come
singly. There's always three, or more.
But usually three. One followerin' the
other. We had had two, an was Jest
wonderin when an where No. was to be.
fer we knew it was comm.
Most of the boys was playin cards in
the engine room, but Jake and I were
Nff the game that night. I didn't feel
much like it, for had just got letter
from my wife saying my little. girl was
down with fever. You know it aim easy
to get off when mans in regular fire
company in a city. An had my vaca-
tion spell before, an nothing short of
death was goin' to let me off. / felt pref
ty down in the mouth about it, an it
come up somehow before knowed. up
an told Jake, an he peared to be might
ly consarned about it, an asked me
sight of questions. By an by he hauled
a couple of leetle old fashioned cases out
of his pocket an handed 'em to me to
look at.
One was a woman-about the hand
someest one 1 ever saw, too-and she
held up a baby against her face, cheek
to cheek. tell y.,u it was as about as
purity thing as | ever saw. Talk about
your ''madoners an child" why, there
want never none painted could hold
candle to them two, fer the little felleI
was jest as purity in his way as his moth
er. The other was the picture of little
girl, purity as an angel. too.
"Why, jake" seq [, ''who be those pic
lures of?'
''That was my wife and my two babies"
seq he.
Sho! But l was beat though. / didn't
want ter seem too curious, but 1 couldn't
help askin' him, or rather commeptin' on
1t, fer we all had it in our minds he was
never married.
"Why, we thought you was single
man, jake" seq l.
81 am now" SEE he, in sort OF quiet
way. Then 1t struck me they was dead
an blurted out.
"All on EN- dead, Jake? That's pretty
rough on q men,"
Both Dead" SEE he, in the the same
quiet way as before. [ was too thick
headed to sense the difference between
both and three, fer there was three of EN-
in the picture, but I see he didn't want to
talk about it so let him alone. But I
wondered what could a-killed that there
big, handsome woman, she didn't look
like the short-liVed kind. I made up my